


Double or Nothing

by lucythewizbard



Series: Aroace Michael [3]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Asexual Michael Mell, Bisexual Rich Goranski, Canon Queer Character, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, POV Alternating, Post-Canon, Post-Squip Jeremy Heere, Post-Squip Rich Goranski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-19 10:36:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29749239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucythewizbard/pseuds/lucythewizbard
Summary: “Hang on.” Michael sat up. “Is this SQUIP stuff?”“I need help coming out!” Rich blurted. “I’ve been trying to tell my friends ever since I figured out I was bi but I keep getting nervous and I don’t know what to do!”The classroom was quiet for a moment.“Oh,” Michael finally said. “That.”In which, with the SQUIPs gone, Rich and Michael stumble through a new friendship.
Relationships: Jeremy Heere & Michael Mell, Rich Goranski & Michael Mell
Series: Aroace Michael [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055624
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Double or Nothing

Going back to school was weird. Well, it was weird for everyone, but for Michael, it was weird in a new and different way. He was friends with Jeremy again, after a few heartfelt apologies and several hours of video games, but Jeremy also retained a tenuous friendship with Rich and Jake. _That_ went against just about every rule of the high school social hierarchy. High schoolers, generally, were flagrant anarchists, but their unspoken rules still took precedent. Every prior experience told him that something had to snap soon, and all he could do was hunker down and hope that it worked out in his favor. And so, as Rich popped out of a crowd of students and made a beeline for the empty table, Michael grabbed his backpack and moved to stand up.

“Dude, chill!” Rich put up his hands. “I’m not here to start sh*t. I just want to hang out, or something.”

Michael sat back down slowly. “That’s… new.”

“Oh, yeah, um. I guess I still need to give you a proper apology for… all that.” He sat down at the table and started ticking off points, as if from a much-thought-over list. “It was really dumb, I was going along with what my SQUIP told me to do - that’s not an excuse though - I was, like, super repressed and you two were just, like, _cool_ and _confident_ -”

“Wait, are you telling me you bullied me and Jer because you were _jealous_?” Michael raised an eyebrow. “Dude, we weren’t even dating!”

“Shut _up_!” Rich shoved him, blushing furiously. “Being deep in the closet does weird things to your brain.”

“Oh, believe me, I know.”

Rich blinked. “Huh?”

“I’m ace. As in asexual. Not attracted to anyone.”

“And you thought you were _straight_?”

“Ohhhh yeah. It was embarrassing. I knew something was up, but I didn’t figure it out until _Jeremy_ googled it for me.”

“So-” Rich snorted- “you were out to Jeremy before you were out to _yourself_.”

“I mean, I _guess_ -”

He was interrupted by Jeremy, emerging from the crowd. “And what’s going on here?” he asked, faux-dramatic.

Michael grinned impishly. “Oh, we’re just talking about you behind your back.”

“Only nice things though!” Rich added quickly.

Jeremy paused. “Well, as long as it’s only nice things...” With a laugh, he joined them at the table.

\---

To his surprise, Michael saw Rich again at lunch a few days later - which was especially strange, considering that he had holed up in an empty classroom instead of making his way down to the noisy, crowded cafeteria. He spent plenty of time here, but it wasn’t exactly a place where you could run into people by accident.

“Hey, Michael?” Rich poked his head into the empty classroom. “Can you help me out with something?”

Michael paused his music and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, what’s up?” He was surprised to see his new friend (friend?) looking uncharacteristically… anxious? No, more like _shy_. Which was even weirder, really.

“So, uh,” Rich started, “I was thinking… since you kind of have some experience…” He trailed off.

“Just tell me already. I won’t judge.”

He fidgeted anxiously. “It’s just- I feel sort of silly for asking-”

“Hang on.” Michael sat up. “Is this SQUIP stuff?”

“Um-”

“Did you somehow get another computer into your brain? I know I said I wasn’t going to judge, but if that’s what’s going on here-”

“I need help coming out!” Rich blurted. “I’ve been trying to tell my friends ever since I figured out I was bi but I keep getting nervous and I don’t know what to do!”

The classroom was quiet for a moment.

“Oh,” Michael finally said. “That.”

\---

A few minutes later, they sat at an empty table, brainstorming.

“Well, how did you come out to Jeremy? I know he, like, helped you out there, but you had to do _something_ , right?”

Michael laughed. “Oh, man. Long story short, I freaked out because he was crushing on a girl and I didn’t know what to do… and then he helped me figure out I was aroace.”

Rich groaned. “ _Great_. And you came out to _me_ with some random comment-”

“Hey, I didn’t say I was a good role model! Besides, your orientation is your business. You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to.”

“But I _do_ want to.” He frowned. “Isn’t there anyone you had to come out to, y’know, properly? Like, big announcement and all that?”

Michael hesitated. “…My mom. I told her about a week after I figured it out myself. But there wasn’t really a trick to it. I just had to sit down and tell her.”

“Oh.” Rich slumped. “I guess that’s what I have to do.”

Michael nodded. It was the truth, after all, that there was no easy way around it. Still… he didn’t like seeing his friend so disheartened. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked tentatively. “Y’know, for moral support?”

Rich’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Of course.”

“All right then.” Rich stood up abruptly. “Let’s go!”

“Wh- Right now?”

“Yes! Before I chicken out again. It’s gotta be now!”

Well. It wasn’t like Michael had anything better to do.

\---

In the school courtyard, they found Jake, Brooke, and Jenna gathered around a picnic table. Jake was the first to spot them.

“Hey Rich! Hey Michael!” He waved them over.

Rich opted to stand stiffly in front of the table instead of sitting down. Michael stood beside him in solidarity.

“I have… an announcement.”

Michael could already see his friend starting to falter. Slowly, quietly, he found Rich’s hand and gave his best attempt at a comforting squeeze. It seemed to help.

“I’m bi.”

Immediately, Jake flashed two thumbs up. “That’s great, dude!”

“You really mean that?”

Brooke nodded. “Thanks for telling us.”

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Michael said happily. But as he looked back to the table, he noticed that Jenna was looking at them strangely.

“So, you two,” she pointed at them with the tip of her pen. “Are you, like, a _thing_ now?”

Rich went bright red. “N- no, that isn’t- we aren’t-”

“Actually- I’m asexual and aromantic,” Michael cut in. “I don’t plan to be a _thing_ with anyone.”

The table went quiet, and he suddenly had a terrible sinking feeling. _I shouldn’t have said that._ Then-

“Cool!” Two thumbs up from Jake. (Again.)

“Actually, that’s kind of perfect,” Brooke added. “Rich likes both, and you like neither.”

Jenna grinned. “Yeah! It’s like… double or nothing.”

Now it was Michael’s turn to grin helplessly.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” Brooke said after a moment. “Sit down!”

Rich slid onto one of the benches immediately, but Michael hesitated. He still felt a little out of place here.

…Then again, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back!! No idea how many chapters this fic is going to be, but I do have some plot events planned out, so stay tuned for more!
> 
> This fic is brought to you by my all-consuming hatred of school cafeterias.


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